Naruto: A New Song
by AlternateVick
Summary: On a mission to the Village Hidden in the Rocks, ANBU Captain Itachi Uchiha stumbles across a potty-mouthed orphan, and decides to bring her to Konoha. When a sarcastic, more-mature Naruto meets the newly arrived red-head, only pain can ensue! But perhaps a lasting friendship can be made - or perhaps something more! OOC Naruto Warning! NarutoXTayuya - No Harem
1. Chapter 1

**Howdy all! Welcome to Naruto: The New Song! This is my second fanfic, and my first Naruto fanfic. If you've never read my other story, welcome! I hope you enjoy the story as much as I'll enjoy writing it! If you have read my other story, welcome back! Those who read my other work-in-progress story might be wondering "What the hell are you thinking?! You barely manage to update the other story!", or something similar. **

**That's absolutely true.**

**This story came about when I was having a battle to the death with Writers Block. Not being able to think of anything for the other story, I noticed I kept thinking about a totally different idea altogether. That's how this story came along. Interestingly enough, when I started working on this story, my Writers Block went away. Go figure! So, I decided that if working on two stories at once will help me think better, why not work on this one as well? I'm not dropping the other one, in fact I'm working on an update right now! So you don't need to worry about that one disappearing.**

**Also, as stated in the summary, Naruto will be OOC. My reasoning: His canon personality annoys the hell out of me. I don't know why, it just does.**

**Anyways, enough of my ramblings. This is Naruto: The New Song. I hope you enjoy!**

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**M Rating For:**

**Strong Language - Tayuya is a potty mouth!**

**Blood and Gore - Naruto acts like he has Bipolar! ...Sometimes.**

**Drug Reference - Kiba is obviously a druggy! Obviously.**

**Alcohol Reference - Tsunade is frequently drunk!**

**Sexual Themes - Jiraiya is a super pervert!**

**Partial Nudity - ...I think I can see Anko's boobs!**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's plot, or it's characters. If I did, it would go how it goes in this story. :D**

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**Naruto: The New Song**

_'For every song, each verse is its own chapter;_

_For every journey, there are choices to be made;_

_A hero is created when a world is saved from disaster;_

_But a legend is made when a name can never fade.'_

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**Chapter 1: The Legend Begins**

A cold, starless night hung over the Ninja World. The dark sky, for some, bade way for the end of a hard working day, allowing families to spend time together, fathers and mothers to bond with their children, and to get the rest they so much deserved. The Ninjas, warriors of the shadows, found themselves most at ease while hidden by darkness, and thus usually found themselves involved in far different, much less social activities.

Itachi Uchiha, ANBU Captain and one of the most renowned Ninjas of the Hidden Village of the Leaves, had once again found himself torn away from a warm night with his clan to aid in the security of his home. He had no complaint. It was his job, and he would see it through to the letter. That was a trait commonly shared by the ANBU; where other, more unruly Ninja would behave differently, ANBU specialists were specifically trained for tough, agonizing missions.

The Hidden Village of Rock was an ancient Ninja nation, one of the Five Greats. Its history was filled with constant warfare, usually in competition with the Land of Fire. As such, espionage units were a common occurrence between the two; some were caught in the act, others remained shadows in the night. Itachi was not one to be caught. He wore his ANBU uniform under a black cloak, but did not have on his mask nor his headband. Hidden underneath he had all the tools of his trade at his disposal - kunai, shuriken, ninja wire, and others.

His mission was anything but simple. One of the Land of Fire's most prominent politicians, a humble man by the name of Yeijiro Tsunoda, had gone missing; simply vanishing without a trace. Initial tracker Ninjas sent to investigate had been unsuccessful, and for a time it seemed as if the man would never be found. Rumors began to surface, however. A farmer, living with his family at the edge of the north-western border, had reportedly witnessed several individuals carrying a large, man sized bag out of the nation, and in the direction of the Land of Earth.

While hesitant to act out against their neighbors, the Third Hokage was being pressured by the Daimyo himself to locate the politician by any means necessary. So he sent for one of his most trusted ANBU, Itachi, and the Uchiha was thus given his mission. Track down the fleeing group, spy on them to determine what their package's contents were, and should it prove to be the politician, extract the man - preferably without violence. If it was confirmed to not be the missing politician, he was ordered to return immediately.

He had quite a bit of work ahead of him. Not only did he need to determine the direction the Ninja took from where the farmer saw him, but he then had to catch up to them; and hope he got their destination right. As it turned out, he had found them not too far a distance away; in due part to the farmer's quick thinking in reporting the suspicious sight to the Hokage. The fleeing Ninja had thought a quick evacuation would only attract more attention, and so left at a far slower pace than they normally would. Ironically, it only made Itachi's job easier.

They were dressed much like he was - dark cloaks with no patterns or representations on them. They carried packs and bags with them, making them appear like a group of travelers - but travelers didn't leap across tree branches.

However, while having found the group of "wanderers", and their package which was indeed about the size of a man, Itachi could not simply kill them and investigate. With his own unique abilities, it would have been far too easy. However, if it turned out that the bag held not a man, but perhaps something of far less value - and by his actions, Itachi would have only proven the Hidden Leaf to be the aggressors - it would have proven disastrous for his Village's diplomatic standing. He could have also used Genjutsu, but on the chance that they had with them a Genjutsu expert who could counteract Itachi's own powers, he opted not to.

So he waited, and watched.

For the night, they rotated shifts as any proper military would, only strengthening Itachi's assumption that they were trained warriors. The group consisted of six men, and two were awake at all times. They appeared to have no unique bloodlines, as Itachi's Sharingan told him, so he was unable to determine their village of origin immediately. However, one had striking red hair that was almost visible even without his Sharingan. That, he knew, was a common feature for citizens of the Hidden Rock; usually removed for secret, potentially volatile missions, but sometimes left alone.

Of course, he could also have been one of the many rogue Ninja that sadly filled the land, so Itachi restrained himself from forming an opinion based on that alone. However, after many days and nights of trailing the Ninja, their path twisting and turning through the deep forest and finally into the rocky crevasses, Itachi's theory proved to be the right one. As the sun set upon the horizon, the Hidden Rock came into view.

And so, he found himself in unfamiliar, potentially hostile territory, having never previously visited the ancient fortress in the past. The buildings were not made of wood or iron, as he was used to, but of the land-provided rocks themselves. They towered like spires over a valley, like a metropolis overlooking a vast wasteland. That was how the rich lived. The city was, as all often are, divided into three groups - the rich, the middle, and the poor.

The wealthy nobles had the fortunate gift of their own personal castles. Giant structures, the smallest of which had a minimum of ten bedrooms, not counting gardens, libraries, living rooms, or other conveniences. Maidservants and manservants were common, usually consisting slaves or descendants of slaves. Their homes often were at the top of the infrastructure, overlooking all like gods over earth.

The middle class were less fortunate. They often found homes in apartment complexes and small homes, never more than two bedrooms large. These were placed in the middle, fittingly. They worked, but could never afford. Those that were in the middle class were doomed to spend the rest of their lives as fixers, builders, farmers, Ninja for some. If they didn't, they fell down to the next level; the poor.

Those that were young without families, old without caretakers, sick, weak, or simply unfortunate made up the poor community. They lived on the floor, in the alleyways and warehouses. There were no orphanages, no jobs, nothing. It was simply a group of people who were doomed to spend the rest of their lives living in poverty. Sadly, this group was also the largest. An expanding community, cursed by years of bad administration.

The entrance the Ninja, now officially recognized by Itachi as working for the Tsuchikage, took was one on the bottom, through the mass of poor. Almost as soon as they arrived, they were rushed by rows upon rows of starved people. Itachi, both by using his advanced Genjutsu but also by his highly trained stealth abilities, was able to avoid detection by hiding in the shadows of an alleyway. At first the Ninja just ordered the people to back away, but when that yielded no results, the situation became far more horrid.

"I said back away, you bastards!" yelled a brown-haired, tanned Ninja, who promptly tossed an explosive tag strapped kunai in the crowd. Itachi was forced to look on in disgust, restrained by his mission to not interfere. They screamed, they ran; but some couldn't get away. Blood splattered, those caught in the blast now either dead, or missing limbs as they lay stunned on the ground. At that moment, Itachi would have loved nothing more than to kill the Ninja responsible, but he knew he couldn't.

It only made him more aggravated when none of the other Rock Ninja reprimanded, or even acknowledged, their colleagues' action, ignoring it out right instead. They were all the same. Men who deserved to die, and Itachi would have gladly been the executioner. His mission came first, however. Perhaps he could "arrange" for their untimely deaths later, he thought. As the crowd dissipated, the Ninja moved on; Itachi ended the suffering of those who were wounded by the explosion after they were gone.

He trailed them to the center of the village, weaving in and around structures and crowds, using his Sharingan to fully keep his vision on the prize. The walk through the poor district was swift, the beggars avoiding the Ninja altogether after their display at the entrance. Upon reaching one of the many spire buildings, the door before them, guarded by two Ninja, opened. A tall stairway brought them past the middle district and into the rich, where a long bridge made solely of rock stood through yet another door - this one also guarded. Itachi never actually entered that spire, but instead walked along the wall.

The bridge was long, and Itachi was forced to prowl underneath in order to avoid being seen, using his Chakra to hold on to the bottom. Finally, at the end, stood the biggest, and the tallest, spire of them all. The Tsuchikage's Tower, where the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, governed his village. While for the entire journey he had gone unnoticed, when he reached the Tsuchikage's Tower, he knew he could go no further. His abilities allowed him to avoid detection, but here the Rock's ANBU would be on full alert, and he doubted even he could stay hidden for long.

Two large, green doors guarded the entrance, three guards standing out in the open, though Itachi saw five others hidden nearby. All were ANBU, wearing distinct, white masks with patterns on them to hide their identities. For only a moment, the group of six stood in front of the door while an ANBU verified their presence, before it opened to reveal the building within. Itachi knew he had to think of a way to breach the building quickly, before the men were sheltered within the building.

A transformation wouldn't work, as the ANBU were specifically trained to spot one regardless of how well it was done. Genjutsu would prove effective at first, but only so long as the sensor Ninja inside remained unaware - a scenario Itachi was not willing to trust. A large scale diversion could draw the attention of the ANBU enough for him to sneak into the building, but it could also potentially increase the security within, thus making Itachi's mission that much harder. Other possibilities ran through his head, but as the doors began closing, Itachi realized he would need to find another way in, hopefully one just a little less guarded.

He silently made it to the outside wall, now walking in a bent-over fashion along the side of the spire. His eyes shot around the area, his crimson Sharingan catching every little detail in high definition. After minutes of searching, Itachi began to despair that he would not find a way in, and thus he would fail his mission. But finally, at the base of the tower, he saw a small portion of the rock pop outwards, and opening to reveal a light coming from inside. There was one person in the doorway, a slave by the looks of it, if the steel collar around his neck and the engraved marking on his wrist said anything, carrying a large bag twice the size he was to a cart a short distance away.

_'There!'_ Itachi frantically thought, leaping off the side of the spire and gliding the great distance down. He did not know where the entrance would lead, or how guarded it was, but it was worth checking out. And since the gentleman who had just left was kind enough to forget to close it behind him before pushing the large, green, trash filled cart away into the busy streets, Itachi felt he had time to investigate. He used short bursts of Chakra to steadily decrease his descent, finally finishing it off by grasping onto the wall and walking the rest of the way down.

When he reached the bottom, he carefully peaked inside, giving the room a quick look-over. It was a slaughter house. Inside were all kinds of assortments of meats hanging from the wall - dear, bird, whatever; all imported from other nations. Large knives and saws hung from the wall, and a particularly large knife was stabbed into a bloodied cutting board, on top a wooden long-table. A burly man stood at the far end, observing a plate of freshly carved meat on a platter, remaining completely ignorant of Itachi's presence outside the door.

Itachi was willing to risk entering, silently stepping over the doorframe, not bothering to close it behind him. Doing so would only attract attention. However, as he leaned against the wall closest to the door, slowly making his way along to pass the man, he was briefly caught by surprise. "What part about 'give the trash to the dogs' did you not understand, boy? You need a whippin'?!" Itachi's eyes dashed to the man's face, and he was relieved when he saw the butcher still solely focused on the plate in front of him.

He knew that would change quickly. He dared not give a response, because he did not know the voice of the slave who had left. Speaking would only blow his cover. However, he also knew that by not responding, the man would, suspicious, turn to look at who he thought was the slave. So, Itachi quickened his pace, remaining silent and yet almost dashing towards the man. "Hey, you hear me, boy?" The butcher demanded, turning - only to come face to face with Itachi's Sharingan.

Before he could make any exclamation, Itachi delivered a sharp blow to the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious. Heavy as he was, Itachi had no trouble at all in picking him up and sitting him on one of the few chairs in the room - being sure to put him in a position that made it _look_ like he was simply taking an undeserved break. After finishing his task, Itachi carefully opened the nearest door, being met by a long, curved hallway. It was abandoned, much to Itachi's relief, and yet he still had no idea where to go.

He had wasted precious time to find another way in, and now he was no less in a better position than he was before entering. The ANBU could easily find him at a moments notice, he had no idea where the Ninjas took their package, and he had no idea where to turn. Itachi knew that he could very well be on a wild goose hunt, but he had a mission to finish; he would not rest until it was over. Especially because a man's life was possibly in great danger. His first step was to make his way up the Tower. The Tsuchikage's office was close to the very top, and those Ninja were most likely on their way to pay their leader a visit. Why? Because normal Ninja did not walk into the Tsuchikage's Tower unless it was for something important.

Door after door he passed, carefully and quietly, taking a peak through each entry as he passed them. The first door was a slave housing, or what could be called such. The beddings were laid out animal skins on the floor, a food tray off to the far wall had some sort of green goop residue that frankly didn't look edible, and it was all barely lit by a single, small candle hanging off the wall. He passed several more rooms like that, before he found one that made him pause. It was dark, so dark that to the human eye visibility was zero, but with his Sharingan he could see just fine - though he sorely wished he couldn't.

Saws, scalpels, clamps, and many sharp knives and weapons lay strewn on tables and hanging from walls. Blood was splattered all over, most stained from overtime, but a few puddles were recent. An indistinct body lay unmoving on a table, its chest having been sawn open by one of the many bloody tools next to it. Whatever the purpose was, Itachi didn't know, and he certainly did not want to find out. The room doubled as both a torture chamber and an experimental facility. That was enough knowledge to go on, and it added far more incentive for Itachi to not get caught during, or after, his mission.

After passing the horror room, he finally found a set of stairs leading up the spire. He had yet to bump into any other Ninja, and as far as he could tell there were none in his general vicinity. For minutes the cycle continued - Itachi would check each room as he went, and would slowly make his way up the spire. He was far more patient than most human beings, and so was perfectly fine utilizing that search strategy until he found what he was looking for. However, when he heard footsteps approaching his location after he had gone quite a ways up, while tensed due to being in hostile territory, he was slightly relieved. As of yet he had found no signs of life, other than that butcher down on the first floor, and was beginning to suspect he had stumbled into a trap or Genjutsu.

He quickly put his back to the wall, and inched slowly forward until he saw four Ninja, stopped in front of an opened passageway. Another figure walked out, as a matter of fact it was the one who had earned Itachi's ire earlier that evening, wiping his hand against his pant leg, leaving a small amount of red behind. He couldn't tell yet what it was, but Itachi had a very bad feeling about it all. Before the door was closed behind them, Itachi caught a strong whiff of blood in the air, only further enhancing the uneasy feeling creeping through his brain.

The group turned away, and walked back down the hall. Itachi waited a few minutes until their footsteps became merely an echo against the corridor, before he too began moving down the hall. Once he made it to the door, he grabbed the silver doorknob and creaked the wooden door open. Inside, his fears were realized - there, on the far wall, was a masked body, latched to the wall in a sitting position with his arms hanging above him by steel cuffs. He wasn't moving, not even breathing, so Itachi knew he was dead.

The room was almost pitch black, the only light coming in being from a small, prison-like window towards the top of the far wall. However, Itachi knew the room was empty, asides for himself and the corpse, so he approached the man to investigate. His head was bound by a thick, white cloth, one which Itachi cut loose with a kunai. After replacing the weapon in his pouch, he carefully observed the mans features. His eyes were half-open, revealing dark brown eyes. Three vertical scars were on the left side of his face, running from the hairline of his greying head to the bottom of his sharp jawline.

Itachi let out a disappointed sigh. This was the man he was looking for, Advisor Yeijiro Tsunoda - dead, from a stab wound through his stomach, if the blood building up was any indication. Itachi reached out and closed his eyes, and was almost shocked to notice how much he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. _'I need to report this to Lord Hokage.'_ he told himself, but before he could stand his eyes widened in surprise when his Sharingan caught a faint churning motion in the wall. He pushed himself off his feet with his heels, back flipping to the middle of the room just soon enough to avoid a dome of rock that had enclosed around the politician.

He had no time to rest, as with a glance to his left he saw the same event happening again - and once again on his right. He leaped backwards through the door, the earth sealing the entry shut not even a second after. "Well, well. What do we have here?" came a voice from his right, and Itachi quickly turned to view the source. He was no longer wearing the cloak, instead sporting the attire of a Shinobi from the Hidden Rock, but Itachi knew it was the same man. The very same who had killed so many innocents, right in front of him. The man's right hand was to the wall, and his left was held in a one-handed Ram seal.

"So you're the one who was following us, huh?" he said, lowering his hands to his sides. Itachi didn't answer, instead subtly reaching for a kunai under his cloak. The Uchiha had his head lowered so his hood was shadowing his eyes, in order to hide his Sharingan. "I'm guessing you were coming after that old geezer in that room there. Sorry, but you're just a little too late. What's better, you have no way of proving he was brought here, his body being smashed to pieces and all."

Itachi scowled at the man, a kunai now ready to be used at a moments notice in his cloak's sleeve. The Uchiha glared at the Rock Nin, while he simply smiled confidently right back. "You're a Shinobi too, I see." he said, causing Itachi's glare to deepen. "That kunai you've got tells me you're ready to fight. That's good." Suddenly, his smile turned into a grin. "Maybe you'll put up a fight!" Itachi's Sharingan twirled to life when the Rock Nin speedily ran through a series of hand seals. **"Doton: Dosekiryū! **_[Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon!]**"**_

The kunai dropped into Itachi's hand as he pushed himself back to avoid the attack. Out of the ground, a massive stone dragon formed and advanced quickly towards the ANBU Captain, it's mouth open in a silent roar. Itachi landed on his heels, and quickly back flipped again when the dragon crashed into the ground in front of him, digging straight down to the lower hall. Itachi used that to his advantage, diving through the hole and darting down the corridor. The Rock Jonin followed after him, doing another set of seals as he landed. **"Doton: Doryūha! **_[Earth Release: Earth Flow Wave!]_**"**

This time the ground erupted into a wave in front of the Shinobi, and it crashed towards Itachi with great speed. Itachi turned from his sprint towards the attack, scowling when he realized he had been trapped. _'He has the advantage in this enclosed space, and reinforcements could arrive at any minute. I need to get out.'_ The ANBU back pedaled down the hall, evading the wave while he wrapped an explosive tag around the kunai. With a toss, he lodged it into the wall a distance behind him. The explosion rocked the Tsuchikage's tower, and Itachi darted through the collapsed rock that he had created, narrowly avoiding the earth attack.

He soared sideways through the air, before wrapping ninja wire between his hands and using it as an anchor to swing off a metal pole extending from a building. The Rock Nin hadn't wasted time, sprinting and leaping out the crack after Itachi. Before the Uchiha could press his feet down, he had to twist his body upwards. The sound of metal striking metal echoed nearby, as Itachi brought his kunai to block his enemies'. Itachi glared up at the brown-haired man, causing the man to show a bit of surprise. "Those eyes...! You're an Uchiha!"

Itachi pushed his legs up, kicking the man in the stomach and using him as a footing to readjust his body so that he landed on the side of a spire, his feet pressed on the ground. The Rock Nin recovered quickly, landing firmly on a nearby balcony and tossing three shuriken at the ANBU Captain. Itachi easily deflected them with his kunai, before running through hand seals of his own while inhaling a large amount of air. **"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! **_[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!]_**"** Itachi exhaled, and a giant fireball flew at his opponent.

"Shit!" the Ninja exclaimed, eyes wide at the strength of Itachi's Jutsu. He jumped into the air, narrowly avoiding the churning flame as it passed right under him. However, he did not avoid the explosion that followed shortly after, which engulfed the Shinobi and sent him flying. "Agh!" he grunted, before gaining control of his descent and looking for the intruder. _'Where the hell did he go?!'_ he thought, and his question was shortly after answered. His eyes went wide when he heard the sound of Itachi's cloak above him, and he grunted as he flipped around.

The kunai clashed, and now the Rock Nin was in the same position he had Itachi only moments ago. Itachi glared down at him, bearing down with his kunai. Both Ninja fell faster and faster towards the ground, the Uchiha not letting his opponent make a move by constantly applying more and more pressure. As they closed in on the ground, the Rock Nin, now with a completely shocked expression, shouted "Are you crazy?! You're going to kill us both!"

Itachi paid no heed, and instead once again brought his legs between the two. It was then that the Rock Nin realized what Itachi planned. "No..!" Itachi kicked, back flipping off the Shinobi's body to land softly on his feet in a hunched over position. His opponent wasn't so lucky - a hideous crack emanating from his neck when he made impact with the ground. The force of the fall had been enough that the Rock Nin had broken the concrete floor, his back being stuck into a small indentation.

_'Too much noise.'_ Itachi realized, when suddenly he was attacked by a barrage of shuriken and kunai. He leapt forward, avoiding the surprise attack and noticing that now several Shinobi stood nearby on the spires. He was forced to leap into the air when the earth around him began to shift, his foot just barely escaping from the grasp of a rock dome, much larger than the one he avoided in the Tsuchikage's Tower. Before he could touch the ground, another barrage flew towards him - and this one he could not avoid. His body was pierced, this way and that, by weapon upon weapon, and his motionless body fell to the ground.

He landed with a thud, and instantly Rock ANBU moved to secure him. They formed a circle around him, to investigate his corpse while the larger group stayed a careful distance back. One ANBU with a mask resembling an ape kneeled down by Itachi's head, reaching to place a hand on his throat to check for a pulse. Before he could reach the body, however, a puff of smoke erupted around the area. "A substitution?!" he said, his body barely having a chance to register the surprise before he heard a faint hissing sound. "Explosive tag!"

The explosion followed shortly after, all of the ANBU having safely escaped the blast radius. However, as they realized, it was only a distraction. Itachi had escaped, and was now silently hiding in a small alley between three rock spires. There was only one way in or out, so Itachi stood at the far end, hidden by the shadows. He planned to wait there for a little while, until the Ninja fanned out and began combing the city. He could remain hidden that way. The only person who knew that he was an Uchiha, and was thus from the Hidden Leaf, was the man he had slammed into the ground - so he had thus far secured his Village's deniability.

After about five minutes, after three Shinobi had already passed over the alley he hid in, Itachi was ready to move. He remembered where the hidden exit was, the one they had entered in. The only thing hampering his ability to remain hidden was that, at this hour, most of the people in the poor district had fallen asleep. He had no crowd to blend in with. So, he darted from alley to alley, slowly making his way towards the gate. On one such occasion, however - as he had just quietly placed his back to the wall of an alley - he overheard an argument of some sort.

At first he didn't pay any attention to it - he had to get out, that was his first priority. But then he heard something else, something that grabbed his attention. "I know I saw her go this way!" said one man in his late thirties, being followed by a group of eight men and one woman of equal ages. "You sure? That little bitch knows this place better than any of us!" came as a reply, followed by another saying "There you are, you damn traitor!". His curiosity piqued, Itachi turned to see that they were looking at a little girl, barely five years old, standing with her back to a wall and glaring at the group.

She was a mess. Dust and dirt covered her bruised face, the rags she wore for clothing, and her mangy hair, which hung down to the middle of her neck, and in the front it would cover her eyes, had she not been keeping it at bay with a small hat. Itachi was shocked when one of the men walked up and picked her up off the ground by her wrist. She squirmed and kicked, until he lifted her higher and looked into her eyes, saying "Nobody related to that man deserves to live. Especially little brats like you." He then tossed her back, sending her spiraling across the ground so that she was surrounded by the group.

Itachi looked on as they glared down at the girl, the group being too preoccupied to notice him. She whimpered from the pain, but then reignited her fierce glare as she sat up. Unnoticed by her, one of the men behind her had drawn a knife, and had it raised above his head ready to strike. "Time to die, shrimp." He said, causing her to look back - and her harsh glare turned into fright. His muscles briefly flexed, and he brought the knife down. The girl winced, closing her eyes so that she wouldn't see the blade come down.

It never did.

She peeked open her left eye, then her right as they both widened at the sight. There stood, blood gushing out of his chest from where the knife now remained lodged into his flesh, the man who had tried to kill her. But that, perhaps, wasn't was surprised her the most. No, it was the cloaked man who stood next to him, his face hidden by the shadow of his hood, who had stabbed the knife into the other man's chest that surprised her.

Itachi couldn't stand by any longer. When he realized that the men truly intended to kill the little girl, he jumped into action. The Uchiha quickly grabbed the edge of the blade's handle, forcing it out of the man's hand and pressing it right into his heart. Next, he shoved the man down - he was dying anyways - and rushed the next, knocking him out with a punch to the face. Before the goon could fall, Itachi grabbed his shoulder and forcefully tossed him against two more, the impact against the wall taking them out as well.

"Who the fuck are you?!" one demanded, charging the attacker. Itachi didn't answer, instead using the man's momentum to slip past him - grabbing his head and slamming it into the ground. Straightening, he turned on his heel to grip the fist aimed at his skull, crushing it within his iron grasp and then kneeing him in the chest. With a speed that no untrained eye could follow, Itachi rushed forward and delivered a powerful kick to the seventh man's face, knocking him back against the woman - who promptly hit her skull on his and passed out. With a shout, the last two charged at once, but they couldn't react before Itachi hit both of them on the back of their necks, ending the fight.

The ANBU Captain looked at the little girl, who had not so much as moved from her spot but was, all the same, eying him both curiously and fearfully. And yet, she glared at him. Itachi walked to her, kneeling down to look at her face for any damage. "Are you okay?" He asked, his Sharingan giving him the answer - she was fine, thankfully.

"Why the fuck would you want to know?" She said, trying to stand but finding her legs didn't have the strength they needed. She had been running for hours - she couldn't move anymore. As such, she huffed and looked back at Itachi - who's eyes had now faded to their natural black.

"Do you have any parents or relatives?" He asked, ignoring her return question - and language. Having been to some of the worst places in the Ninja World, a five year old dropping the F-Bomb wasn't anything special.

"...No." she answered hesitantly, as she slightly turned away. Itachi quirked an eyebrow at the reaction, but dropped it shortly after. This girl reminded him of a certain blond back in Konoha, and he found it hard to just leave her there.

So, with a silent sigh, he asked something he felt he may regret later. "Do you want to leave?"

The child's eyes widened, and she quickly looked at Itachi's face, almost as if to see whether he was joking or not. He, however, simply looked back at her with a gentle smile. After a few seconds of her staring at him with her mouth agape, she nodded her head. Itachi stood straight, taking off his cloak to reveal his ninja attire underneath. This was a risk, but he was safe for the moment - his Genjutsu had ensured that nobody else heard the painful screams of the comatose bodies in the alley.

Itachi grabbed her under her arms, and placed her on his back. He then reached down and re-attached his cloak, throwing the hood over his head. She wrapped her arms around his neck, just barely able to see out of the hood through Itachi's hair. The Uchiha approached the edge of the alley, observing the large wall a short distance away. His target was there, being guarded by three ANBU Shinobi, a small section of the rock that was detachable from the rest. Itachi paused, whispering "Hold on tight." to the girl, before creating a Shadow Clone. The false Itachi rushed out of the alley, charging the ANBU.

They moved to engage the clone, fully believing it to be the real intruder. Just as the two forces were about to clash, the clone burst into smoke, surprising the elite Ninja. They didn't have time to react before three kunai lodged themselves into their throats, as they fell dead before the smoke from the clone cleared. Itachi rushed past the corpses, approaching the wall. A fourth body fell from out of the rock, a kunai having also pierced his throat as well - even while he was using his Jutsu.

The ANBU Captain felt around the rock for only a few seconds, before he pushed in a stone - the rock slowly being pulled down into the ground to reveal a rectangular exit. For one last touch to cover his tracks, Itachi placed a live explosive note right next to the passageway, before he bolted across the plateau. He ran as fast as he could, leaping over a rock and down into a canyon ravine. He was actually following the route the group he trailed took to arrive. As he rushed into a dark cavern, there was a distant explosion - his tag, obviously.

They pressed on in silence, Itachi listening for any sound that could give away the enemies' presence, and the girl because she was too focused on holding on for dear life. After several minutes, the cave ended, leading to a steep slope that led down the tall mountain. At the base was the tree line, and that was where Itachi headed. Pebbles rolled and dust was kicked up as Itachi ran down the hill - his Chakra allowing him to avoid falling. Finally, with one final leap, Itachi landed in the forest, already the welcome sound of wildlife filling the air.

This was territory he was comfortable in, practiced in. So, both to allow himself to gather his strength and to make the trip less painful for the girl, he walked at a far more casual pace. The sun had yet to rise, though the moon hung low on the horizon, and Itachi realized it had been a very long night. From behind him in the cloak, Itachi heard the little girl let out a yawn, and her grip loosened. The Uchiha brought his hands back to support the girl, as she was likely to fall asleep at any moment.

"What's your name?" Itachi asked, mainly so he could stop referring to her as "the girl" in his mind.

"...Tayuya." She answered weakly, and that was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep. It was a rest she was glad to have, and one she deserved. Little did she expect that her journey had just begun. Little did she expect the legend she would be involved in, that would last for thousands of years to come.

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**Some silliness to part with!**

A chibi version of Itachi stands in a forest with a baby Tayuya on his back.

Itachi: That was close! For a moment, I thought I'd never get out!

Tayuya: ...

Itachi: Oi... Are you okay? You're being pretty quiet...

Tayuya: ...

Itachi: Ah! How could I have been so careless! I need to check you for wounds!

Tayuya: Would you fucking be quiet you piece of motherfucking shit?! I'm trying to get some fucking sleep!

Itachi: ...I'm very sorry. Q-Q

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**Sorry about that omake, at the end. I'm still working on that bit. It'll improve, honest!**

**Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the read! Please be sure to leave a Review with your thoughts, comments, or any suggestions you may have - I appreciate them! Just... Try to be mature with them, okay? I can handle some decent criticism, but my confidence doesn't need any bashing. :|**

**See you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all! Thanks for the turnout last time, I really appreciate all your comments! To answer a few questions, yes, this will be a NaruTayu story, and there will _not_ be a harem. I don't have any babies, but I will take as many cookies as you're willing to give! Just, not those cookies that hurt the computer. I need this bucket of bolts, after all! :P**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or anything associated with. As absolutely _infuriating_ as that is!**

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**Chapter 2: New Territory**

The sun had only just risen, its orange blaze shadowing over the horizon, and yet Itachi was already on the move. The forest surrounding him was thick, and for a skilled Shinobi was one big hiding place. But Itachi wasn't in the Land of Fire yet - he wasn't safe. He followed no road, nor did any indication of his location exist. The sun was his compass - it rose in the east, so he ran with it to his left, though closer to his front. That way he would head south-east, and eventually reach Konohagakure.

Though the foliage had only just sprouted, the trees were tall, and the forest deep. Even still rocky spires shot up over the greenery - Itachi was still in the Land of Earth. But he was not going to make the mistake his foe had - he was not taking his time. He ran, having full confidence that he could outpace his enemy.

However, Tayuya was latched to his back, her small arms wrapped around his neck while her legs wrapped around his lower chest. She had yet to wake up, her soft breath inhaling and exhaling behind his hair, and a single string of drool gathering in a pool on Itachi's shoulder. The red-head was innocently unaware that she was slowing the ANBU Captain down, the Uchiha being careful not to wake her, by attempting to make the ride less rough.

She was far quieter when she was asleep, and Itachi hoped to take advantage of that silence.

Itachi could have left her behind, but didn't. He wasn't the kind of person who would betray someone. When he had saw her eyes, fierce, suspicious, and brave - yet also tired, hurting, and scared - he was reminded of the two blue eyes he had looked into thousands of times before. This girl, for whatever reason, was the same as that blond. He couldn't stop his suffering - but he could stop hers.

The rough bark brushed against his hand as he crouched by a towering tree. His crimson eyes scanned the horizon, checking for any sign of an ambush. When none laid in front, he then checked to see if he could spot anyone following. Nothing. _'That's strange.'_ he thought, scowling at the empty distance. He thought, at least, that he would be followed.

His diversion wasn't that good, if anything it was more of a delay tactic. They should have been behind him. So why weren't they? They couldn't have been letting him go, the Tsuchikage was looking for any excuse for another war - it was the only time in history where their economy was doing good. If it was found out that Itachi was a Konoha Shinobi, Onoki would throw a giggle fit at the opportunity he was given. So why weren't they following?

He was about to press on, when a soft, quiet yawn was made behind him. "Good morning, Tayuya. Did you sleep well?" Itachi said, glancing back at her as she used one arm to wipe away the drool.

"Hot damn, that was the best sleep I've had in my entire fucking life!" she exclaimed, yawning once again. Itachi briefly frowned, but turned back to impassive quickly enough. So she never had a good nights sleep before... She really was like Naruto.

With a nod, Itachi asked in a soft tone, "Are you hungry?"

His query was answered when the red-heads stomach growled, loudly, causing Tayuya to blush ever so slightly. Itachi smiled, that was a yes. He nodded again, before reaching into a small pouch on his left leg. He flipped up the gray latch, and pulled out a small, brown, round ball-looking object. He reached back and dropped it into Tayuya's waiting hand, and she looked at it confusedly.

"It's a food pill. It isn't much, but it will curb your hunger until I can get you some real food."

She sniffed it cautiously, and gave it a lick before looking at it with a scowl. It had neither odor nor taste. *CRUNCH!* She placed it into her mouth, and chomped down - and found herself shocked when almost instantly her hunger went away. It was as if she had just eaten a gourmet meal! _'It's a fuckin' miracle pill!'_

"Thanks." she said shyly, as she chewed the little bits She wasn't used to being helped like this.

Itachi didn't respond, and instead he had already begun walking forward. Greenery was foreign for the little girl, and she absorbed the sights with wide eyes and mouth agape. For Tayuya, who had lived her entire lift in Iwagakure - devoid of natural life as it was - the colorful maze of foliage was purely divine! The way the sun shone through the branches, creating patchy shadows along the leafy ground, and the rodents climbing through the shrubbery, and even a trail of ants climbing up and down the dark bark of a tree-trunk - nothing was left out of Tayuya's scrutiny.

Itachi trailed the unmarked forest, his footsteps oddly quiet over the fallen, brown and dead leaves. Neither bird nor rodent could be found, all of them hiding from the unfamiliar Uchiha. He passed by much plant life as they walked, berries and mushrooms and other fruits. Over a fallen oak he stepped, and they found themselves in a sort of half-cove of bright pink trees, fruit hanging from their branches. These were a collection of small, red cherries with a tiny stem connecting them to their "mother".

"What are these?" Tayuya asked, as Itachi plucked one from its branch and put it in her palm.

Itachi glanced back, curiously. It was common knowledge of the fruit's existence, even for those who had not yet entered, or who had not the chance to go to, either a Ninja Academy, or some other institution. It was unimaginable that even someone in Iwa would lack even the most basic nutritional information. _'Was she so neglected?'_

"They are Cherries. Try one." he replied gently, picking another duo for himself. He smiled when she hummed, a sign that she had indeed enjoyed the treat. In fact, she had. Tayuya was currently marveling at what was considered the sweetest thing she had ever tasted! But, her content smile turned into a frown.

"What's wrong with the others?" she asked, to which Itachi stopped munching on his fruit and turned his head to look back. For a second, he couldn't understand what she meant. "Others"? Then he blinked when he realized it. She was referring to the plants and life they had thus far passed.

"Those were poisonous. Bad." he replied quickly, going back to chewing, and swallowing, what could very well be his last meal for a time. He had no idea whether or not he would find a suitable source of food, before they returned to Konoha.

"How the fuck can you tell?" Tayuya questioned again, becoming even more confused when Itachi chuckled - his first the entire time she had hung on his back -, and pointed over to a small, brown animal. It was a fox, fluffy tailed and bright eyed, balancing on a tree's limb and nibbling on some Cherries of its own. Incidentally, it was the only mammal currently braving coming close to Itachi to get some food.

"A fox's instinct are second to none. And that fox avoided all the fruits and 'shrooms we passed." the Uchiha explained, though in fact he knew a more scientific answer to the little girl's question. Although, the fox answer wasn't necessarily a lie, either. In all honesty, it probably served to better satisfy Tayuya anyways.

He collected several pairs before moving on, and he would continue to hand a couple back to his passenger every once in a while, to keep her at least somewhat nourished. That wouldn't suffice, unfortunately. He needed something with more nutrients. That fox, that had been greedily foraging berries and such, would have made an excellent meal - but it had decided to dart off as soon as the thought crossed Itachi's mind. The Uchiha hadn't realized Kami had a sense of humor.

He pressed on once again, the earth below coming gradually steeper as they went. The Land of Fire was at a lower altitude than the Land of Earth, the latter being high in the mountain ridges - though not so much as to match the Land of Lightning. Itachi was forced to a stop when his feet met the edge of a deep ravine - a wide crevice with smooth sides and a river at the bottom running down the hillside path. It was narrow and well protected by the overhanging canopy, running on for quite a few miles - good for remaining hidden, yet still gaining ground. On the other hand, they were still in the Land of Earth, so it could very well be a purposely placed trap disguised as a convenient landmark.

Using his Chakra to keep his feet firmly placed on the steep earthen wall, the Uchiha inched his way down slowly and carefully. It was no huge effort on his part, even with Tayuya's added weight, though he had to remind himself to keep a firm grip on the red-head so she didn't slip out from the bottom of his cloak. Even though she practically had his neck in a death-grip, it couldn't hurt to be careful.

His feet landed with a soft splash. The water hardly rose to the mid of Itachi's heel, yet it flowed freely out of the valley-side. Along the narrow stream on both sides were small, green shrubs over lively grass, with an occasional flower or two. The rocky sides were grey and crack-ridden, victim to a constant barrage by the nearby forest - large roots shot out from the trees.

Itachi's survey was interrupted by Tayuya, who's tone had now taken something more akin to fear than curiosity, laced with anger. "How the hell did you do that? The walking on walls thing? The fucking bastards back at the village did that, too!"

The Uchiha paused, looking back at her with at first a quizzical eye that quickly changed to that of understanding. _'She doesn't think highly of the Shinobi either._' His mind flashed back to the paper bomb, the one that had claimed the lives of so many innocent bystanders. His rage at the Ninja, even though he was now removed from the world, was still fierce. Anyone who could so nonchalantly end so many human lives deserved a punishment worse than death. The Shinigami's domain was more fitting.

"All ninja learn to scale walls eventually. It is necessary for our training." he replied softly, stepping along the hard stones that flanked the river and its bush within the grass. On noticing Tayuya's scowl, Itachi was quick to realize where her mind was going. "I am not the same as the ones in Iwagakure. I'm a friend."

Tayuya's only reply was a slight loosening of her grip, her angry glare boring into the back of Itachi's neck. She didn't believe him. She had been through enough abuse and trauma at Iwa that trusting someone took a lot of effort. Of course, Itachi already knew that. However, the fact that she wasn't demanding to be let down meant that Tayuya realized staying with Itachi was her best option. Getting lost in the woods was a bad idea, and going back to Iwa was an absolute no-no.

The narrow ravine zigzagged through the forest and around the tall rocky spires spotting the landscape. The river continued to shallowly run down, being propelled by the angle of the mildly steep earth. The trees gradually thickened and rose in height, signifying that the two were fast approaching the Tsuchi no Kuni/Kusagakure border. As he walked, the stream's current continued to increase and it's width expand, once only coming to the base of Itachi's heels but now rose to his ankles.

All the while, Itachi was watching for any sign of natural life - asides for the obvious vegetation. The stash of cherries he had nabbed had already run dry, and overdosing on food pills was detrimental to the health. Tauyuya's present fascination of the surroundings would only stave off her hunger for so long. Yet, not a single animal, mammal or otherwise, could be seen. Granted they were in a ravine with limited sight, even still at least a rodent should have popped its head out by now. But no, not even the birds sang in the air - it was dead quiet. Too quiet for the ANBU's liking. Suspecting something wrong, he quickened his pace. If he was caught, with Tayuya's added weight, it would be difficult to fight off his attackers. For now, he sensed no presence nearby, and even his Sharingan detected nothing.

But he was too smart to hope things would run so smoothly the whole way.

The mini-canyon widened into a sort of valley, the walls forming an oval dome around a deep lake. The water, pooling overtime from the water trickling down the ravine, was a dirty green, dust particles collecting in it over a long period. However, flowered bushes of all colors crowded together around the body of water, the liquid providing plenty of nutrition for their roots. It wasn't safe for a human to drink, unfortunately. On the far side, the high rocky walls came together again, a large cave having its opening right in the middle. It wasn't terribly deep, as Itachi could easily see the opening on the other side, but it was pitch dark - perfect for an ambush.

Sharingan activated, Itachi was surprised to find no such trap. The cave was empty, asides for small stones and pebbles resting upon the floor. Any other ninja would hesitate, this still being Tsuchi no Kuni, famed for its rock-based Shinobi. However, for an Uchiha who had moderately trained their Sharingan, it was easy to ensure the path was truly clear. As such, he walked onwards, the cavern's shadow covering him from the sky's view. His steps echoed out of the cave, though less noisy than it would have been had any other ninja attempted to traverse it.

Tayuya was used to the dark. She had spent many a sleepless night in a dark alley in Iwagakure. As such, the sightless cave did not frighten her nearly as much as it would any other child her age. However, she began to realize that something was strange about the cavern. Or, perhaps not the cave itself, but more specifically Itachi.

_'Is this bastard glowing?'_

A faint red light was emanating from the front of his face, not enough to reveal anything ahead, but it was certainly there. She knew he was a ninja, and he was capable of a lot of creepy stuff! Such as walking on walls , for instance. She reasoned in her mind that it must be another trick of his. Maybe it helps him see in the dark, somehow.

"What the fuck is that light?" she asked, less than patiently.

"Light?" Itachi asked in reply, feigning ignorance. He knew full well what she was talking about.

"Yeah, the red glow that's around your ugly-ass face. What is it?" Tayuya demanded again, not accepting the idea that he hadn't noticed the glow himself. She was smarter than that.

After a brief pause, during which Itachi kept pressing onward through the darkness, the Uchiha finally replied. "I cannot tell you, yet. It isn't safe. I'll explain once we are out of the nation."

Tayuya pouted silently, her curiosity practically killing her. Everything was just so new to her, Iwa having been all she knew. She wished to herself that they had time to slow down and check everything - and that's in the literal sense - that they passed. But, Tayuya knew why they couldn't. The ninja in the village were no different than the people. While they refused to let her leave the village (an act that was only because of the Tsuchikage's orders), they also refused to save her from the mobs. She didn't know who Itachi was, but he was running from Iwa. Obviously he felt they would be followed. There would be time to stop and look around after they got to... Wherever it was they were headed. But that reminded her:

"Where the fuck we going, anyway?" she asked, her voice echoing across the cave.

Itachi whispered back, "Not yet. Just a little longer, and I will explain everything."

At his answer, Tayuya "humph"'d. This guy wasn't telling her anything, and it was making her angry. Then again, at least Itachi was talking to her. Back at Iwa, even the youngest wouldn't talk to her - often grumbling something about the "traitor", whatever that meant. It was always the older people who led them away. So the fact that someone was at least talking to her was an improvement, no matter how much of a stranger he may be.

After a short while of walking, Itachi finally reached the other end. As the light penetrated through the darkness, Tayuya squinted from behind Itachi's hair as her eyes adjusted to the sun. The cave opened up to an open field, short grass growing through the soil and occasionally separated by a rock or two. On the cave's side, there was a tall rocky wall spread out both directions, arcing backwards away from the field like a quarter-moon. Trees dotted the outskirts, circling away from the mountain range. To the south and east, giant mushrooms sprouted up over the canopy.

Kusagakure. Ally of Konoha, and Itachi's goal. If he could get across the border, he'd be safe. Iwagakure couldn't send their shinobi into that territory, a truce having been signed during the Third Shinobi War. But there was something about this opening, this plane. It was a perfect circle, almost. Considering the area, trees should be growing here - there was no reason for it to be basically barren in just this area. It was unnatural. Almost as if...

It was manmade!

**"Doton: Kyojin Tsuchi** **Kangoku!" **_[Earth Release: Great Earth Prison!]_

Eight Iwa Shinobi shouted all at the same time, as a giant dome rose from the ground. Eight "slices" formed individually, straight up from their starting point, arcing forward above Itachi. It was a complicated technique, to be sure. Each ninja oversaw one-eighth of the entire Jutsu, the combined Chakra output massive enough to rival a Jutsu of the Kage themselves. The Uchiha found himself almost awed, not by the power, but by the coordination. It must have taken an extreme amount of mental focus for each to act in such unison.

Itachi didn't have any time to act, leaving him shocked and wide eyed, glaring at the rocky wall that rose to engulf him. Tayuya struggled to see from behind his hood, yet still gazed as best she could at the rising dome. It wasn't massive or anything, compared to the buildings in Iwa, but she'd never seen someone control rocks like that before!

The earth sealed shut, and the Iwa shinobi stood from their hiding places behind the trees. Eight total, just a large team. Four moved to secure the rock, while three others flocked to a fourth who sauntered into the plain. They wore the Iwagakure ninja armor, headbands included.

"The infiltrator has been apprehended. Excellent plan, Captain!" one stated with pride to the Jonin of the group, who only nodded at his companion with a small smile.

"Send word to the other teams. He was strong enough to kill Masuhiro. We'll need help to transport him back to the village for interrogation." The Jonin, red-haired with a tan complexion and dark brown eyes, ordered to a brown-haired Chunin.

"Hai!" He replied, and started running off back in the direction of the village.

The Jonin turned back to his team, still smiling - proud of their accomplishment. Any day they could aid their Village's security was a good day indeed. "We wait here for reinforcements. I don't want to take any chance-"

He was cut off when, in the direction the messenger had run off in, the sharp sound of metal slicing through flesh and a painful gasp erupted. Each ninja frantically rushed in the direction of the sound, and when they got there, the Iwa ninja was down, bleeding on the ground and already dead, at the feet of the cloaked man who they thought they had captured.

"What?! But how?" demanded a Chunin, just before Itachi lunged forward and skewered his kunai through the ninja's neck. Itachi continued on, using the falling shinobi's body as leverage to leap into the air, swiping down at a third Chunin. However, the experienced Jonin hadn't been idly standing by. He, drawing his own dagger almost as soon as Itachi had sprung into action, darted in the way of the Uchiha's powerful blow, their Kunai's clanging together. Just after his feet touched the ground, Itachi kicked with his right leg into the ninja's stomach, sending the Jonin sliding back across the ground - yet still on his feet.

The Jonin glared at Itachi, who simply looked, unblinking, right on back. "I see." the Jonin began, his kunai held in front of him, at the ready. "You cast a Genjutsu moments before you were captured by our technique. While we thought you were trapped inside, you slipped out and waited for the opportunity to strike." As he explained his observations aloud, he spread his feet apart a little more, preparing to spring forward and charge Itachi. "You are a truly talented ninja. However, it will do you-"

"No. That is not correct." Itachi interrupted, raising his own Kunai defensively. He had to be especially wary, as he still had not only the Jonin to worry about, but also the four remaining Chunin - who were waiting for their Captain before striking. Itachi's statement earned him a curious brow raise from the Jonin.

"Oh?" the red headed ninja asked, more of a sound than actual wording.

For a moment, Itachi stared at him, before he finally explained what he meant. "I did not cast the Genjutsu as you were performing your Jutsu." he paused, and then, suddenly, burst into a flock of crows.

"What the-?!" the Jonin exclaimed, surprised and alarmed. The red-eyed birds swarmed around, and then charged the awaiting Chunin. The black crows morphed like putty into rotating shuriken, but it was only after they had cut into the shinobi that the ninja realized just how real they were. Kunai and more shuriken shot out of the trees, striking vital organs and joints. Blood splattered as the shinobi collapsed, only the Jonin having survived the gauntlet. The hairs on the back of his neck tingled when he felt a presence behind him.

"Rather, the second I exited that cave, you were already under my illusion."

The ninja turned on his heel with surprising speed, managing to parry Itachi's kunai away from stabbing into his back. He leapt away, but was forced to look on in shock as "Itachi"'s form blurred out of existence.

"No... Such a powerful illusion, and I never felt you activate it? That... Shouldn't be possible. There's only one clan I know of that could pull that off..." the Shinobi said, disbelieving, yet starting to realize exactly what he was up against. Admittedly, the Uchiha weren't the "only" clan that was capable of such Genjutsus. But for a village like Iwa, the Uchiha were a breed to be feared.

"Kai!" he shouted, his hands together in the Ram seal as he attempted to break the illusion - but his efforts were in vain. Frantically he scanned the field, desperate to find his foe. His eyes widened with shock when Itachi seemingly appeared out of nowhere in front of him, kunai pressed against his neck. At this distance, the ninja could easily see Itachi's triple tomoe Sharingan.

"So I was right." the Iwa ninja said solemnly. He had already accepted his defeat. He could not win this fight.

"Are there other patrols nearby?" the Uchiha asked, his Sharingan boring holes into the other man's skull. The Dojutsu had more uses than simply perception and analytical purposes, even at this stage. But, it didn't work when faced with a person of greater mental fortitude.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Uchiha." the Jonin replied with a faint smile.

"I see. I'm sorry it came to this." Itachi replied, an almost sad tone to his voice.

With a single motion, Itachi slit his throat, deep enough that he died almost before hitting the floor. Merciful - it was the least Itachi could do. He didn't seem a bad man, but his job put them at odds. It was the unfortunate truth of being a ninja. Often, your opponent would not be morally evil, just someone doing his or her job. Itachi took a moment to retrieve all of his equipment. If left behind, they could still reveal their origins to the Iwa shinobi, even well after Itachi had escaped across the border.

The last of his tools returned to their pouches, the bodies hastily removed with a fire jutsu, Itachi walked over to the tree line closest to the giant mushrooms in the east. Two trees in, and he peeked around the giant trunk of a third. There, sitting with her back to the brown bark, was Tayuya, with her legs folded up against her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, and her hair falling lazily over her eyes. She looked up at Itachi with a blank stare.

"Sorry you had to see that." Itachi said, and he was about to say more, to console her and reassure her that she would be fine, but she cut him off.

"I've seen worse." she muttered, burying her face into her knees.

Itachi simply looked at her for a few seconds, before blinking. His Sharingan was replaced by his deep black eyes, Chakra flow being cut so as to not waste any. He reached out his hand, outstretched and palm up. "Would you like to walk the rest of the way?"

Her only response came in a barely noticeable nod, and Tayuya grasped his hand and pulled herself up. She stretched and gave a loud yawn, feeling her sore limbs readjust to physical use. It had almost been a full day since she walked on her own, and she enjoyed the feeling of freely using her body once again. Then her stomach gurgled, causing the young girl to stop yawning and stare down at her stomach in surprise. Then she looked up and glared at Itachi.

"Fuck it, I'm hungry!"

Itachi didn't flinch at her outburst. Instead, he smiled lightly. Tayuya could have sworn he even stifled a laugh. He motioned for her to follow, nodding his head in the direction he turned to walk. Itachi moved at a slower pace, and constantly was aware of what she was doing at all times. For Tayuya's part, as they moved through the forested shrubbery, she couldn't help but continue to curiously stare at every little thing. Despite her stomach grumbling and her muscles aching, she was absolutely captivated by all the different sights. It was hard for her to drag herself away.

Everything was so foreign to her, so green and alive! Trees towered proudly above the forest floor, hiding the messy floor under the shadow of the leafy canopy. The bushes were green and moist, it must have rained recently. Back in Iwa, rain was hated for its consistent result of making everything muddy. For the lower class especially so. And yet, here, far away from that hell hole she once lived in, rain was shown to make everything so beautiful!

Her thoughts of Iwa made her finally realize that the towering rocky spires that were so common in Tsuchi were no longer present - in fact, they had long since passed Dagger's Peak, the first of the many jagged mountains that made up Iwa's dense, natural wall. "First", but both Tayuya and Itachi were grateful to consider it the "last" instead. The idea that she was finally leaving that fucktard infested, sorry excuse for a village behind brought a smile to the girl's features.

The bark of the woodland gradually changed from a lighter grey to a light brown, and even from there continued to darken. The grass gradually increased in height and thickness, as did the bushes and other plants commonly associated with a forest. Tayuya was amazed at how fast the terrain had changed from that of Iwa. She had been even more surprised by the fact that Itachi barely even registered the change - though she quickly realized he had probably seen it multiple times.

The sun had begun to set, lighting the sky with a beautiful tones of orange and purple. In Iwa, especially down on the city floor, it was a rare treat to see the sight. And by rare, that meant never. As such, Tayuya stopped and simply took in the amazing orange globe as it slowly sank below the horizon - when she spotted a clear view between the thicket of trees. It was absolutely gorgeous, the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

Itachi, however, looked at it impassively. A whole day had passed since they'd left Iwa, and he had been running the entire time. Including the time spent on the trip to Iwa, the stealth and subsequent battle that followed, and finally the escape (and the brief skirmish that transpired during that, too), Itachi could practically feel his body demanding rest. He was exhausted, not only physically, but his Chakra was drained too. He need rest, soon - and he mentally wondered why the Hokage hadn't sent at least some back-up.

Still, he did let a twitch of a smile onto his face. It wasn't all bad. They were, after all, safely within the borders of Kusa. No Earth Shinobi would hunt them down here, or else they would risk nullifying the treaty. They couldn't afford another war with Konoha, not yet at any rate. Even if Itachi were to have been caught, they would likely only bring it up later on, after they had built up their military again. As it stood currently, a war would completely ruin them! Of course, Iwa may very well be stupid enough to try, so Itachi wasn't really willing to take any chances.

He gave Tayuya a light nudge on the shoulder, and she glared at him before seeing his expression. He was serious, not that she'd seen any other sort of emotion other than his brief moments where he'd show humor. She followed behind him at a quick pace, as they jogged further into Kusa. Tayuya began to notice something strange, though. As she looked around, she noticed that there were mushrooms around. And not just any mushrooms either!

"These things are as big as a fucking house." Tayuya swore under her breath, almost speechless at the sight. She was surprised when Itachi chuckled, though by this point she didn't even know why she was surprised anymore.

"Yes. There are many in this area. They serve as the primary food source for Kusagakure." he informed her, not slowing his pace in the slightest.

Tayuya thought on this, frowning at his words. "Grass? How the hell does a village hide in grass?"

"The name originated from the large amounts of wild grass in the region." Itachi chuckled at the question. Now that they were out of Earth Country, he could at least explain some things rather than just "wait until later", like he had been doing. "It isn't like Iwagakure, where you come from, where the village is hidden in the rocks. In fact, it would make more sense to say Kusagakure is hidden by mushrooms." the Uchiha joked, and, especially considering they were walking over a giant mushroom's stalk right at that moment, Tayuya caught on quickly, and giggled just a tad.

Itachi had to briefly pick her up so that he could leap off the fungi's head. The fall lasted a full three seconds, and the Uchiha easily landed to his knees before placing Tayuya back on her feet. Kusagakure was a smaller country, and much less expansive than the Land of Earth. Itachi planned to cut straight through, and hopefully be passed Fire's border by the afternoon of the next day. For now, however, the sun had already set, the once beautiful evening sky being replaced by the dark night - revealing the twinkling stars.

Itachi sighed. He needed rest, and so did his passenger. He had originally hoped to be within the Land of Fire's borders within the day, but perhaps that was too great a goal. There was a small clearing, not overly spacious but just enough to camp out for the night. There was a clear sky and no sign of a storm, so there was no need for shelter. Kusagakure's dark brown barked trees sprouted high above them, making Itachi almost relax. He, as well as all the other shinobi of Konoha, were trained for this kind of territory. Even if they were ambushed here, Itachi was confident in his ability to defend them.

Halting Tayuya's blind walk (she was focused on all the other details, other than where Itachi was) with his hand on her shoulder, Itachi said "This is a good place to stop. We'll stay here for the night."

He smiled when the girl yawned, wiping at her eyes with her right hand. That was all the sign for an agreement he needed. As an ANBU, he was trained to only carry along the bare essentials. As such, he had no tent, no readily available heat source, and hardly any water, with even less food. What he did have was a sleeping bag that was compacted into a small scroll in his pouch. He grabbed the piece of paper and unrolled it, then placed it on the ground, and slammed his palm into the symbol.

There was a puff of smoke, making Tayuya gag and choke briefly, but when it cleared there was a single, black sleeping bag on the ground. Tayuya looked up at Itachi questioningly, cocking her head to the side by a small angle. "Where the fuck are you going to sleep?"

Itachi smiled, and stood to his feet. She had already claimed the bag as hers, and it hadn't even been out for long. "I'll be keeping guard all night. The people from Iwagakure might risk coming into Kusa, or a group of bandits might come across us by accident."

Tayuya frowned, before walking over to the bedroll and flopping down on it. She felt the fabric with her fingers, and felt a light smile twitch on her face. It was soft. She hadn't felt a blanket in a long time, and immediately laid down to bask in its heavenliness.

Itachi smiled again, earning a harsh glare from Tayuya. "What the fuck are you looking at?" she asked with a threatening (embarrassed) tone, already half asleep after only a few seconds.

Itachi sighed, and turned around to walk away. "I'm going to get some food. You'll need something to eat if we're going to get to my village." He snuck around using Konoha's name. Even though they were out of Tsuchi, the possibility was still there that they could be ambushed. The rocks had ears - literally, in this case -, and it couldn't hurt to be careful.

"And where's that?" the girl asked, digging herself into the bedroll and turning onto her side. She noticed Itachi stop at the edge of the forestry, and turned to look at her over his shoulder. He gave her a smile.

"Somewhere friendly and safe. I'm sure you'll like it." he replied, before walking into the tree line. Tayuya raised a small eyebrow at his answer, but as she felt her eyes getting heavier and heavier, shrugged it off and cuddled deeper into her bed. With the sun having gone down, a cool breeze had begun to drift through the forest. Tayuya fell asleep listening to the peaceful sound of the wind passing through the tree branches.

Itachi wasted no time once he had left the small camp. He didn't want to leave Tayuya alone for too long, and he needed to rest up as soon as possible. He would have hunted for an animal sooner, but he didn't want Tayuya to accidentally scare away any of the animals. The little critters seemed to have a knack for knowing when a human was coming along, like a sense that a predator was near. Itachi had learned long ago how to hide his presence, especially in the forest. He was alone - it wouldn't take long at all to find a meal.

Minutes later, Tayuya was stirred from her sleep when the smell of cooked meat reached her nostrils. She sat up, rubbing her eyes with a yawn. She didn't even realize she had fallen asleep, as the last thing she remembered was Itachi walking into the forest. Through blurry eyes she saw the carved up meat of some unidentified animal, held by a strand of ninja wire between two kunai, over an open flame. There was a makeshift fire pit around it, roundish rocks acting as a barrier so the flame didn't spread to the rest of the forest.

Not that Itachi couldn't put it out if it _did_ spread. He knew quite a few water Jutsus, after all.

Itachi looked over at her, before pulling a piece of meat off the main body, stabbing it with a (clean) kunai, and handing it to Tayuya. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to hand a little child a knife, but Itachi was confident that he was more than fast enough to prevent anything bad from happening. The red-head didn't really know what to do at first, still disoriented from having just been sleeping, but she quickly gave the food a sniff.

Her eyes lit up when she smelt it, and she quickly convinced herself to take a bite. That was all it took. Itachi just sat there dumbstruck when Tayuya practically inhaled the piece of meat. He silently thanked Kami that he had properly prepped it before hand, or else Tayuya may very well have eaten the entire animal all on her own. With a burp, she finished off the last bit, before smiling wide at Itachi.

"That was fuckin' good!" she almost shouted, using her tongue to dislodge some persistent bits. Itachi blinked a few times, still getting over the shock of seeing the little girl devour the food like a monster reincarnated, before he smiled and nodded.

"You need to get some rest. We'll be reaching our destination tomorrow. Get some sleep." Itachi advised, after Tayuya had yawned loudly with a stretch, tossing the knife to the side. She still had a lot of things she wanted to ask - who he was, where they were going - but with her belly full and her eyes getting heavier by the second, she couldn't help but give a nod in agreement. She crawled back over to the sleeping bag and curled up under the blanket, sighing as she fell into a peaceful sleep.

Itachi watched her for a moment, before, after confirming she was indeed asleep, turning to gaze into the burning embers of the fire. He enjoyed its warmth, it reminded him of his home in Konoha, with his family. Hopefully, by tomorrow he would be sleeping in his own bed. His eyes wandered up to the clear autumn sky, the stars twinkling high above, before closing his eyes and focusing on regaining his Chakra. He idly wondered what he could say to the Hokage to explain everything, once he got back, before Tayuya's light snoring interrupted his thoughts - causing him to smile.

He would have plenty of time to come up with an excuse tomorrow.

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**I was hoping to get a little farther, like maybe actually being in Konoha by this point, but drawing it out never hurt anybody! ...Well, maybe it hurt you people, because you have to wait for Naruto to make an actual appearance, but what the hell!**

**Hope you enjoyed the read. Please leave a review with any comments, questions, or advice you can offer! I really, really appreciate them!**

**See you soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey all! I'm back with another chapter! Just gotta comment on some reviews before we begin!**

**ApocalypseDragon169: Not going to lie, when you said to not make Naruto a stupid retard, I laughed my ass off. Thanks for the amusement! xD**

**PyroPhoricity: It is focused on Itachi and Tayuya right now, but after this chapter Itachi will be taking a back-seat. This story will be focused primarily on Naruto and Tayuya!**

**I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope I can continue to impress! So, without further ado, on with the show!**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I seriously wish I did, that's a lot of money I could be making right there!**

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**Chapter 3: Homecoming**

She was running.

The weather was absolutely horrible in Iwa. Thunderclouds rampaged high above in the sky, lighting crashing into the rocky towers and monstrous thunder crumbling the cities' cliff side walls. The outskirts of Iwagakure had been cordoned off by the shinobi, on orders from the Tsuchikage himself, for the safety of the inhabitants within. Rockslides were all too common during a thunderstorm. And yet, even as the rain pelted the earthen city, coming down in buckets worth of large, painful drops, she was running.

Tayuya's face was cut and bruised, and tears welled up at the corners of her eyes to join her already drenched face as she huffed out pained breaths. It was a miracle she could run, her legs ached and throbbed, and her ribs begged for rest. Just for a moment she wished to catch her breath. But she couldn't stop, they wouldn't let her. A mob followed closely behind, shouting out curses and hateful words after the fleeing girl.

"Kill the bitch!"

"Don't let that bastard-child get away!"

They held axes and rakes and pitchforks, as if they were hunting down Frankenstein's monster instead of a little girl. Tayuya felt her throat clog as she fought back yet more tears. She didn't understand any of it. Why her? Why did they treat her so harshly? What had she done to deserve this? The answer wouldn't come, it never did. So she ran. Tayuya hooked a quick left into an alley on the side, squeezing between two metallic, worn-silver dumpsters as she bolted down the narrow passage.

The angry screams of her tormentors subsided. They weren't following her anymore, having lost her to the darkness, or the cold. She shivered in the rain, and she gave a sob as her tears continued to join nature's water on her cheeks. Her body ached as she slumped against the stone side of the rocky tower, finally letting the stress and combined pain catch up to it. It wasn't fair. She was only a child, she had done nothing wrong!

Then, the rain stopped. Almost instantaneously, the clouds parted and the warm, welcome rays of the sun passed through Iwa, already drying its wet surface. The light engulfed the alley, casting a bright golden tone that reflected wonderfully off the damp rock - but Tayuya barely paid attention. She just sat there, in the corner between the two stone buildings, hugging her knees tightly to her chest and sobbing.

She cried, and cried, and cried some more, until finally her eyes burned dry and her tears wouldn't fall anymore. Then, suddenly, two strong arms wrapped around her. She gasped, and would have struggled and yelled profanities never before heard on the earth, had she not felt a strange sensation she'd never felt before. One she couldn't remember, but somehow knew precisely what it was.

Comfort.

Tayuya couldn't see his face, but his soft, kind voice whispered softly into her ear. "It's okay, Tayuya. I'll keep you safe. Promise of a life-time." it said, and for a reason Tayuya couldn't understand or explain, she believed it. There was something about the voice that was just... Calming. Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She let everything out, her tears returning ten-fold as she dug her head into his dark ocean blue shirt. He patted gently on her back, his other arm wrapped around her for support, even as his clothes were soaked by her tears. "Shh... It's okay, it's okay. You'll be alright. Everything's going to be fine. But, Tayuya..."

She glanced up, and gazed into his kind blue eyes through his striking blond hair, and he stared back at her with a sad smile.

"You need to wake up."

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Tayuya gasped lightly as her eyes snapped open, and she sat up quickly. The first thought that came to her was something very much along the lines of _'Where the fuck am I?!'_, before she remembered the events of the past couple of days. How the strange ninja, Itachi, had saved her from a mob in Iwa, and how she spent the majority of yesterday on a piggy-back ride. The red-head yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes, getting the sandman's "gifts" out of the corners, before wiping some stray drool off her lip.

The pleasant, golden sun shone through the high, leafy canopy, warming her face with its glow. Some leaves had fallen from their place high above, but oddly none had landed on her - or she was just a rough sleeper and threw them off. That was the more likely of the two possibilities. The makeshift fire pit Itachi had put up was nowhere to be seen, though a small portion of the ground where it had been was spotted with black, scorched foliage.

Tayuya felt a smile come to her face. She wasn't in that hellhole anymore, Iwa. Granted, she wasn't really anywhere at the moment, but the important thing was that she wasn't _in_ Iwa. And, for the first time that she could remember, she actually felt good. Regardless of that crazy dream, which wasn't all that irregular until the end, she felt well rested, and she certainly didn't wake up hungry like she usually did. That rabbit was the biggest meal she'd ever had, though even still she hadn't ate that much of it. Her body wasn't accustomed to large quantities of food, malnourished as it was.

"You're awake." a voice said from behind her, and Tayuya twisted her body around to see Itachi, who was sitting cross-legged on the remains a tree trunk that appeared to have been cut through, with his eyes closed and his arms resting across his knees, hunched over. Tayuya yawned again in response, before standing to her feet. She wobbled a bit, flailing her arms around briefly as she struggled to maintain her balance, before straightening and looking around.

"So this is fucking Kusagakure. We're going to their village or something?" she asked curiously, as she noted several fungus growing out of the high trees. She hadn't noticed them before, other than the large ones coming from the earth, due to how dark it was.

"No, we're going around it." the Uchiha replied simply, opening his dark black eyes and pushing himself off the stump to his feet. He walked over to the sleeping bag, ignoring Tayuya's angry glare, and rolled it up. He almost had to flip the little girl off it to do so, but thankfully she realized his intention and stepped off; though not without first flipping him the bird.

With a huff, Tayuya asked "Well where the fuck _are_ we going?" She was really getting annoyed at the man's apparent secrecy. He managed to strap the bedroll together and re-seal it in the scroll before he answered, internally wondering how a child managed to learn these words.

"We're going to Konohagakure."

Tayuya's eyes widened in surprise at his answer. For all her lack of proper education, she had heard that name many times. It was uttered often with curses and resentment by the people in Iwa. Hell, over half the shinobi in the village seemed to have a grudge against the place, though Tayuya failed to realize why. She wasn't stupid, of course. She knew Konoha had obviously done something to Iwa to earn this reaction, but she had no idea what it was. Still, what she did know was that Konoha was one of the greatest villages in the land.

"You're a Leaf ninja?" she asked, staring at him as he hid the scroll in one of the many chest-pockets the shinobi vest had. He grasped his cloak from a nearby low-hanging tree branch and pushed his arms through its sleeves before answering.

"That's correct." came the short reply, leaving Tayuya with a confused and angry scowl. The ninja she knew were evil - cruel, heartless monsters who couldn't give any less of a damn about what the people thought, save one or two who seemed to care enough to keep her safe. Yet, Itachi was a ninja, a stranger no less, who randomly showed up, saved her life, and was now taking her away from Iwa. It didn't make any sense.

_'Are shinobi from Konoha that fucking nice?'_ the little girl would wonder to herself. It didn't add up. What was he even doing in the village in the first place? He couldn't have just been passing through, could he? Normally a child her age probably wouldn't be thinking through these admittedly finer details of her rescue, but Tayuya had only survived this long because of her brain. She wasn't about to step into the ice cream wagon, so to speak. Just because the adults had lived longer, didn't mean they were smarter!

Itachi motioned to the tree line, and waited for Tayuya to shuffle up beside him before moving back into the deep forest. It was a much more relaxed journey now, with Itachi pressing forward at an easy pace, and Tayuya was able to curiously glance back and forth - catching passing glances of small wild animals, and even a deer or two. They were strange creatures to her; Tayuya never had the opportunity to see many wild animals in Iwa, aside for the occasional stray dog or cat.

Itachi, on the other hand, ignored the beasts and critters. While Tayuya was sleeping, the Uchiha had trapped, killed, cooked, and sealed three fish from a river running nearby. It was simple enough for him to do, that he also built up his chakra supply. A single night of resting was plenty to restore the needed strength and energy for the journey home, but it wasn't enough for a complete recovery. He'd need at least a full night of solid sleep for that. But until they got to Konoha, that would have to wait.

They still followed an invisible path, one that wove through the forest and away from the mountainous ridge. By Itachi's calculations, if they moved with minimal breaks from their current position at a fast running speed, they would reach the village by the end of the day. He had covered most of the trek during the flight from Iwa, completely leaving Tsuchi's borders and going over half-way through Kusa's territory. Unfortunately, Itachi was forced to take Tayuya into consideration.

The little girl was tougher than most children her age. Hell, she probably topped quite a few grown men in that regard too. But even so, even assuming she could keep up with Itachi running at full speed, she couldn't make a journey like that without stops - and multiple breaks would mean Itachi couldn't sleep in his own bed that night. It was selfish logic to be sure, and Itachi wouldn't focus on it, but it was a fact. They would have to stop to rest, even if that meant waiting another day to see Konoha's gates.

The fungus in Kusa was, in some places, even more prevalent than the trees that cast a shadow over them. The pale brown hues of the massive mushrooms overran the green forestry, giving the land a grey tone in contrast to the bright, clear, blue sky above. In that way, it wasn't so much unlike Iwagakure. However, at least here there was vegetation - life. Iwa was rock and stone, rodents running rampant through the streets.

A particularly large shroom arcing from the ground over a narrow ford served as a bridge for the two. Although Itachi could have very easily jumped across safely, he was careful to pick the path easiest for Tayuya. He knew that he would have to revert to giving her a piggyback ride eventually, so making the most of the periods where she walked on her own was, to the Uchiha, crucial. With the lack of proper nutrition that she had obviously been under, Tayuya needed to exercise so her body could readjust to the proteins and such that now cycled through her.

She seemed to be the type that wanted to do everything herself anyways.

Gradually, as they went on their quiet trail through the forest, the terrain changed once again. It was more subtle than when they fled Iwagakure, yet it was noticeable. The massive fungus that dotted Kusa's landscape shrunk in size, soon becoming merely branches extended from aging trees. The lack of grey and dark brown mushrooms let the lighter green of the tree leaves shine through, bringing a more lively tone to the forestry. Wild animals, too, seemed to frolic through the bushes and tall grass with a greater abundance of energy.

As they walked, Tayuya noticed a bright light through a patch of shrubbery. In fact, they were headed straight towards it. The sun had difficulty peaking through the dark canopy, and though it was hardly dreary, the lack of concentrated sunlight was beginning to annoy the young redhead. The one thing she did like about Iwa, the sun, at least, felt good. Within moments of spotting the break in foliage, Tayuya having beforehand been distracted by a buzzing swarm of beetles, they broke through the forest and found themselves on a currently abandoned dirt road.

Not a soul was to be found in either direction, left nor right, though tracks of men and horse were both visible on the soft ground. It seemed a large convoy had been through recently, heading off towards Tsuchi no Kuni until it reached the Tenchi Crossroads, where they could either head further towards the Land of Earth, or shift off to Amegakure. Due to the instability of that region, few travelled to Ame anymore. Sometimes a big-time bank going out of business did that to a nation.

The trail led from northeast to southwest, eventually cutting a direct south after passing over the Tenchi canyon. That, however, was some distance off. Between the ravine and where Itachi and Tayuya now stood was several miles of seemingly endless walking, which was only slightly better than the hellish amount of running from Iwa. Neither halves of the journey were pleasant, even with each step bringing them closer to safety. Itachi began to put serious thought into making, or learning, a teleportation jutsu or two.

The dirt that was compacted to make the road they walked on was new to Tayuya. Sand, she knew - though she rarely could be there for long, Iwa had an old, deteriorating playground with a small sandbox. But this was not sand. It was grainy like sand, but hard like rock. And it stuck in between her toes like mud! She had been fortunate to avoid stepping on anything painful thus far, but her bare feet were now under fire by an onslaught of grainy death. The redhead, however, was tough as a bull - and twice as stubborn! It was a full two hours before she finally gave in.

"Fuck this piece of fucking shit!" she blurted as she started stomping her feet; both were covered with pestering gravel. Her outburst caused Itachi to look down at her, and he was greatly amused to see the little girl attempting in vain to remove the small grains from between her toes. While he was tempted to chuckle at the scene, he fought off the amusement and, with a forced sigh, hefted Tayuya off her feet. The little girl thrashed and attempted to punch Itachi away, her aggravation getting the better of her. "Hey! Put me the fuck down!"

The ANBU paid little attention; within a blink of an eye Tayuya found herself once again getting a piggyback ride. She may have huffed and mumbled a string of obscure profanities, but Tayuya realized there was little point in struggling. It wasn't like she could outmaneuver Itachi, she knew that; especially after his display against the Iwa Shinobi who had ambushed them. Not only had he managed to get her to safety, but he killed them all within a few minutes - he wasn't even winded afterwards!

Itachi knew that he would eventually be carrying the girl. Now was as good a time as any, as they wouldn't make much progress with Tayuya stopping to get the dirt off her feet. Perhaps he could have attempted to make some sort of sandals, but - amazingly skilled shinobi he may be - a craftsman he certainly was not! It was also faster this way, as he didn't have to make sure Tayuya could keep up with him.

She had gotten enough exercise, and now Itachi could step up his pace.

Tayuya wasn't expecting the Uchiha to suddenly sprint forward, and she shrieked while holding tightly to Itachi's neck. The surrounding trees blurred as Itachi gained more and more speed, and soon he was easily running twice as fast as Tayuya thought possible. And she outran quite a few people in Iwa. He was slow enough to not injure the redhead, but fast enough that, were she any other child, she'd be screaming her lungs out. Tayuya wasn't that kind of girl; she simply kept Itachi's neck in an iron stranglehold.

Eventually, within a much shorter time than would have been the case had they continued to walk, Itachi came to a stop just shy of a long bridge. Tayuya sighed, finally relieving her arms from half-choking Itachi. She looked around for a moment, before noticing the bridge and the very, very deep ravine that it crossed over.

"...Shit."

Itachi quirked an eyebrow, and glanced back at the girl. She scowled down at the drop, before focusing in on the other side of the bridge, then back to the cliff. Tayuya bit her lip slightly, before her gaze turned into a hardened glare. The Uchiha shrugged, and took a single step forward - which resulted in Tayuya once again locking his neck in a stranglehold. Thankfully, she wasn't nearly strong enough to choke him out, or even make it hard to breath. Still, he frowned at the girl's reaction.

"Heights?" he asked, nodding in confirmation when Tayuya flinched at his question. Much to his shock, he actually got an answer - he didn't think she was going to openly admit it.

"None of your fucking business, dipshit!"

Well, almost an admission.

Itachi sighed, walking forward even as the wooden planks creaked and groaned under his feet. It was an old walkway, one that needed repairs soon or else some unfortunate traveler would fall to their watery grave. Though it was steadily growing unstable over the years, Itachi felt that it would hold. There was no sag to its frame yet, and it hardly buckled under his weight.

"This is the Tenchi bridge. It is only a short distance on the other side before we will be in the Land of Fire. We should reach Konoha before daybreak of tomorrow." Itachi explained as he moved. He noticed that Tayuya was focusing on anything but the area below the bridge. She seemed particularly focused on a short tree on the other side.

"I-I don't fucking care, just get me the fuck over there!"

A few seconds later, Itachi stepped back onto solid ground, leaving the rickety wooden deathtrap behind; Tayuya let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Thank Kami! Finally off that damn bridge!" she shouted with glee, both hands raised to the air in a cheer. She had little time to relax, however, as Itachi quickly resumed his full-speed (if he was honest, it was actually only 25%) sprint down the road - forcing the redhead to once again hold on for dear life!

The path took them on a zigzagging trail through the endless vastness of forest. The ecosystem that Konoha was famous for extended for hundreds upon hundreds of miles, much farther than eyesight could see. For a while the road went on and on, before splitting off in two directions - one to the northeast, the other splitting off to a solid southern direction. Rather than continue on the trail, Itachi once again leapt into the trees. Literally! Rather than run across the forest floor, he began bounding off branch after branch.

Tayuya almost couldn't believe what was happening. Here she was, holding onto Itachi's neck for all she was worth, and suddenly he was flying just below the canopy of the trees. She was well aware that ninjas were, in some mysterious way that she couldn't understand, capable of walking along walls and performing feats thought impossible for a human. She even knew that they could perform something which seemed like magic, as demonstrated, especially, the day before when the eight shinobi ambushed them and tried to trap them within a giant rocky dome.

And now she found out that they could pretty much fly. There was no point in being surprised anymore.

The day dragged on, the sun rising high into the noon sky before falling back down to the western horizon. Even with her curiosity at the changing terrain, by the time twilight had begun Tayuya already felt her eyes starting to grow heavy. Maybe it was due to not walking on her own like she wanted, or maybe it was the gentle rocking Itachi was subconsciously doing as he gracefully soared through the tree tops. It could also have been that her belly was full from the food she had ate only moments prior. No matter the reason, Tayuya knew she was getting sleepy, and would soon doze off to dreamland.

So it was that when Itachi broke free from the forest, landing once again on a large path, that Tayuya had slumped over on his shoulder and was snoring quietly. The road was, as the one before in Kusa, deserted by all activity asides for Itachi and his passenger. It was hardly surprising. Few risked traversing out away from the villages this late at night. Wolves began hunting for their prey in the late evening hours - and not just those with four legs and fangs. Bandits and thieves often broke from their hiding places and prowled the forest, searching for anything, or anyone, who might provide them with a few more Ryo.

Fortunately Itachi didn't have to waste his time on those criminals. They were in the Land of Fire now, and Itachi now wore his Leaf headband upon his forehead. The symbol was more than a fair warning to anyone who thought to attack him. The shinobi were a force _not_ to be reckoned with, and even the most ignorant of scum realized that it would take a large group to take a ninja down. Luckily for them, few were stupid enough to try; they preferred to deal with unarmed, not-so-dangerous civilians with preferably large wagons and few guards.

His pace slowed upon the road, walking at a speed more fitting for your everyday traveler. Konoha wasn't far, and so Itachi was in no hurry. Though the trip from Iwa to konoha usually took anywhere from five to nine days, Itachi had made the journey in a record breaking two days. He had miscalculated slightly, and had assumed he wouldn't be carrying Tayuya for most of the way. He had thought that she would have demanded to be allowed to walk on her own, but strangely she had kept mostly quiet.

Perhaps that was because, after Itachi took to the trees, she was too petrified to say anything.

A cold chill swept through the area as the sun's warmth left the land altogether. The blackened night sky revealed bright, twinkling stars high above, and only the right-most edge of the moon could be seen dully shining down upon the darkened earth. Night had fallen long before civilization came into sight, yet even through the shroud of darkness Itachi could see lanterns burning brightly atop a tall, expansive wall. Konohagakure was finally in sight.

It wasn't long before Itachi was at the base of a massive double-door gate, it standing closed to bar his entrance. Two guards lazily stood watch, though many more patrolled up above. Both wore the standard get up typical of a shinobi of Konoha, and both were equally unassuming. The ninja on the right side of the gate, closest to Itachi, stretched his shoulders upon noticing Itachi's approach, and took two steps forward. The other remained leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and one leg firmly placed on the wood, his head slouched over.

"Halt. State your name and business..." the guard droned, before blinking a few times as he took in Itachi's visage. He seemed to liven up, no longer bearing any sign of having been dozing off just minutes before. "I-Itachi! You're back!" The man's sudden surprise managed to wake his sleeping partner, as the formerly crashed shinobi flinched his head up. Eyes wide, they both snapped to attention.

The Uchiha frowned at them for but a moment, before returning to his normal impassive stare. He would have to tell the Hokage about the guards lack of attentiveness. If he had been a rogue ninja or an infiltrator from an enemy village, they would both likely find themselves either dead or knocked out.

"Yes. I must report to the Hokage immediately." he replied quietly, avoiding any prying ears - on the off chance that someone was listening in.

"Hai!" the ninja replied, but then his eyebrows scrunched together in a confused scowl as he glanced over Itachi's shoulder. He tilted his head to get a better look, only barely making out the little girls vivid red hair, but also noticing a tiny puddle of drool that had gathered onto Itachi's shoulder. "But... Erm... Who's that?"

Itachi glanced over at his passenger, before looking back at the Chunin. "An orphan I found on my way back." he said, his statement practically declaring that no further questions were to be asked by the guard.

"Uh... Right. We'll open the gate now." With a glance up at the top of the wall, the shinobi who had addressed the ANBU Captain gave a visible nod to someone hiding in the dark up above. Itachi didn't need to look to know that it was the one responsible for opening and closing Konoha's gate.

For such a large entrance, only a small metallic box with two buttons - one green and one red - controlled the mechanics of the doorway. The lone ninja leaning over the iron rail, just below where the rooftop's edge dropped, saw his comrade's action, and with a quick tap of the green button the massive gate began inching open. It was surprisingly quiet for its size; only one with highly trained hearing could make out the grinding of the chains within the wooden construct. It stopped after only opening enough to let one person in, and both guards gave a quick salute to the Captain.

Itachi walked through the entrance, and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he took in the familiar sight of Konoha. The streets were mostly abandoned, at least in the western area of the village; most shops and stores closed just before the sun went down. Even in the dark night, the city had a friendly glow to it. Warm, welcoming light emanated out of house's windows, most families either just finishing dinner or winding down from the day. It was familiar territory for Itachi.

Tayuya was too busy sleeping to notice anything.

The gate slowly closed with a deep groan, lightly slamming shut as Itachi continued onward. The surrounding area was silent save for the gentle chirping of several crickets somewhere nearby. Some idle chatting could be heard if one listened carefully enough, but Itachi wasn't fond of eavesdropping on a private conversation - unless, of course, the mission _was_ to eavesdrop on a private conversation; then it was fair game. It was peaceful, and even though his mission technically wasn't over yet, Itachi found himself almost relaxing. Almost. As an ANBU, he was trained to _never_ relax.

Therefore, in his only slightly alert state, he was surprised when he heard strange sounds coming from the distance. It seemed as though it was coming from the other side of the village, but Itachi couldn't tell for sure. There was some... shouting. Yelling, even. Itachi was curious, but he knew that reporting to the Hokage had to take priority. He could investigate the commotion afterwards, assuming it was still going on.

Eventually the Hokage's Tower came into view, and from the light coming from the top floor, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still hard at work - even at this late hour. That was to be expected, of course. It seemed everyone was quick to drop their problems in the Hokage's lap, no matter how small or trivial the issue may be. His work was, literally, endless, and Itachi couldn't blame him for stepping down and handing the title over to the Yondaime. With Minato's death, however, he was forced to take up the mantle once again.

The poor old man was buried up to his neck in paperwork.

Itachi made his way up the stairs of the building, fully aware that his every move was being watched by at least a dozen ANBU. From the moment he had set foot through the gate, two of Konoha's elite had already zoned in on Itachi, and he knew it. They had to be careful, after all. Because of his status as a highly respected shinobi of the Uchiha clan, Itachi could easily bypass the Chunin guards. Someone skilled enough with a transformation jutsu could easily sneak passed them. With Itachi having been sent off to hostile territory, it was highly possible that an infiltrator could have taken his place. The ANBU's job was to make sure things like that didn't happen.

His footfalls were light as he continued up the stairs, passing door after door after door until the stairs finally leveled out to a hallway in a leftwards arc. The hallway was lit by lanterns along the wall, guiding the Uchiha to two fairly large oak doors. He gave it three good knocks, and there was exactly a three second delay before an old, gravely voice, yet one with a clear amount of authority and power, answered.

"Enter."

* * *

It was just another day. With an angry mob of around twenty adults rushing down the street, some with knives and others with shovels and rakes. It didn't matter what they kept with them, as long as it caused pain. That was all they cared about as they chased the demon. Although he didn't quite look like a demon, with his bright blond hair and his cerulean blue eyes; three whiskers marked each side of his small, circular face. He was clearly malnourished, though he retained some sort of tan from his constant contact with the sun's hot rays. His clothing was worn, a dark green T-shirt with a red spiral on the chest, brown shorts that barely came down to his knees, and sandals that were about to fall apart at the seams.

Yet, this six, almost seven, year old child was a demon. Surely he was. That's what they told him, and that's why they wanted to kill him so much. Even so, Naruto Uzumaki wasn't going to roll over and die for them. They wanted to maim him and rip him apart? They'd have to catch him first.

It had started normally enough. He was walking through one of the markets, minding his own business. A store selling some small knickknacks and trinkets had grabbed his attention; he just wanted to check things out. When he entered, however, the owner, the man behind the counter, threw a fit. He had ordered - no, he had outright demanded - that Naruto leave that instant. The boy refused.

"I'm just looking! I'm not hurting anyone!" he had argued, but the owner wouldn't let it be. Naruto quickly found himself grabbed by the collar, and forcefully tossed out the entrance. Before he could stand, the glass door was slammed shut and locked. Naruto had hoped that would be the end of it, but as was usually the case with this sort of thing, he was wrong.

The commotion had attracted the attention of some of the local populace. Just seconds after Naruto had dragged himself to his feet, having landed harshly on his rump after being thrown, the little boy found himself staring up at a rather large group of hateful looking people. Naruto didn't know why it was, but each and every one of them glared down at him with nothing but hate in their eyes. Nothing but "pure" malice. It was a look Naruto knew all too well, but he had trouble understanding it.

Maybe it was because he was a demon, as they called him.

Things quickly got out of hand from there. One stepped forward from the group, sneering at the blond as he approached. "What're you doing out here, scum? We don't tolerate your_ kind_ around here." he said, with an angry glare.

"I've done nothing wrong! Why do you hate me so much?!" Naruto asked, pleading that someone would tell him - other than the occasional reference to a demon that he normally got.

"Don't play innocent, brat! You know full well what you've done!"

Naruto barely had time to react when the man tried to kick the small boy. He ducked under the foot, and immediately flinched back away from the offending limb. When he saw one or two of the group, followed by many more, reach for "weapons" - actually tools normally used for other, usually far more civil purposes - he knew it was time to run. It would be devestating to Naruto's health if he didn't.

Turning on his heel, Naruto bolted down the street, stumbling at the beginning but soon running as fast as he could to get away from the angry mob. While he didn't understand it, he was used to the threats and beatings - and, provided everything went right, he knew how to avoid them. The road went on to the marketplace, where many stalls and kiosks were set up in a large, square courtyard. Hopefully at this hour, the shopkeepers and customers had disbanded for the night; Naruto planned on cutting through there to lose his pursuers.

As fast as he ran, it seemed the mob behind him wasn't going to give up easily. They were on his heels, shouting threats and the like all the way. Finally, the courtyard opened up before them, and Naruto ran straight down the middle between two rows of stalls. The child then made a hard right, bounding over the side of a kiosk and then out the other side - knocking quite a bit of merchandise, some food bags and such, onto the floor as he did so. He broke out of the marketplace, fully convinced that his chasers had been tricked by the sudden maneuver.

But, as he made it to one of the four roadways that led away from the courtyard, he saw a large group of people in front of him - causing Naruto to stop short, skidding to a stop. They were drunkards, wobbling and hiccupping as they walked down the street. One man looked at Naruto with a funny mix of surprise and confusion - likely not yet realizing who Naruto was.

"Hey... Wasn't you a-hic'-around the.. err... hic'..." the drunk said, before shaking his head suddenly and squinting his eyes at Naruto. The others had an equal reaction, but they only noticed the blond after their companion had begun suddenly talking. One chimed in, tapping his friend on the shoulder as he somewhat leaned to the side. "hic', I think that'sa... a... hic', isn't that the lil' shrimp?"

"N-no, no..." Naruto muttered to himself, slightly stepping back at the nigh clueless group before him. Any longer, and they'd realize who he was. And if they attacked him in their drunken stupor, Naruto realized he might receive more than a simple beating. He might very well be killed. _'Please don't see me, please don't see me.'_

"Blond hair... Whisker marks... Blue eyes - yeah! That's him! ...hic'..."

"Crap..."

Naruto was about to turn around, head back into the marketplace to find another, much safer route, but when he did so he found that the group from before had managed to figure out where he went. Probably thanks to the second mob's loud, slurred voices. Naruto stared wide eyed at the blocked off passage for a moment, before he took three steps back and stumbled onto his rump. He couldn't escape. This was it, he knew it. There was nowhere to run, and he was going to either be beaten within an inch of his life, or be taken out of his misery altogether.

He was scared, terrified even - but he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry or beg. He glared at the oncoming mob, because that was the only thing he could do. They hunted him, tortured him, and for no reason at all made his life a living hell. He had done _nothing_ to them. Naruto hated it, he hated the way he was treated, he hated how his life had been - but most importantly, he hated _them_.

It was then that a low growl rose from his throat, a deep and menacing noise that Naruto didn't know he was capable of.

Several of the people suddenly stumbled backwards, each one with almost terrified expressions. One large man, who had dropped a small pocket knife in his surprise, pointed at Naruto with a trembling finger. "See?! It's just like we've said, he's a de-Ghgh!"

His sentence was never finished, as a kunai lodged itself in the center of his throat. He collapsed, eyes rolled to the back of his head, as blood poured out of both the wound and his mouth, dead almost instantly after impact. Naruto, eyes wide, looked around to see five figures with grey flak jackets and white masks all around him - as well as another with the standard Leaf shinobi attire; he had gravity-defying silver hair.

"Seems we made it in time." the Jonin said, his single visible eye glaring daggers at the group. "The Hokage has ordered that no harm is to come to this boy. Unless you wish to be either arrested or killed, go back to your homes. Now."

If it was possible, a seemingly inhuman amount of killing intent radiated off the small group, adding an unbearable pressure to the air around the mob. They were quick to disperse, most running and stumbling frantically away from the agitated shinobi. Once the ANBU showed up, people were quick to remember that Naruto was protected by the Hokage. One of the ANBU, a female with long purple hair and a mask in the image of a sort of cat, kneeled down next to Naruto and rubbed his blond hair gently.

"Why do they hate me?" Naruto asked, already familiar with the ANBU. She was one of the few who saved him from the mobs on a consistent basis.

If her mask was off, anyone could see Yugao's enraged expression. She asked herself the same question over and over, each and every time the ANBU had to save Naruto from an angry mob. Although she knew the reason, she never understood the stupidity of some people. How could _anyone_ think this little boy was the Kyubi?! She sighed, removing the frustration from her voice before she gave him an answer. "They don't hate you, Naruto." she lied, trying to calm the unnerved boy. "They're confused idiots who don't know what they're doing."

With another pat on the little boy's head, Yugao stood and walked next to the silver-haired Jonin, leaving Naruto to stare with a lost gaze into the ground. Yugao sighed as she watched one of the slower of the mob stumble away with clear distaste. "This is Taiga's district. Where is his team?"

The Jonin barely regarded her, one hand in his pocket as the other reached for a small orange book that was hid in one of his pouches. Yugao felt her eyebrow twitch behind her mask as Kakashi Hatake began absent mindedly reading the disturbing novel. "You know Taiga has never been fond of Naruto. He'll never openly attack him, but he's the type to let people beat Naruto half to death."

"How did that bastard get to be a Captain?!" Yugao asked with anger, to which Kakashi shrugged as he continued reading with a half-closed eye.

"He's a skilled shinobi, and loyal to the village." the former ANBU nin reminded her, frowning slightly behind his mask when he heard her "Hmph". He sighed, tiredly. "Why don't you make sure the people make it all the way home. I think some of them were about to collapse where they stood. I'll take Naruto to the Hokage and tell him about Taiga's actions." Yugao gave a slight nod, and turned to give her squad orders - but was stopped when Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder. As she turned to look at the Jonin, she was surprised to see him giving her a reassuring eye smile. "Just be glad we made it on time. Naruto won't have to deal with the pain tonight."

Yugao stared at him for a moment, before turning to walk away once again. Before she and her squad left, though, she muttered just loud enough for Kakashi to hear. "Not physically."

Kakashi's smile dropped to a sadden stare as he looked at Naruto, the ANBU having leapt to the rooftops. Not physically indeed. Kakashi knew full well that Naruto was dying inside, on an emotional and mental level. Putting the porno back in its pouch, the one-eyed Jonin walked up to Naruto and spoke in as soft a voice as he could muster. "Come on, Naruto. Let's go see Jiji, hm?"

Naruto stared back up at him with a blank stare, before nodding sadly. Kakashi lifted the small boy and let him get comfortable on his back, before leaping to the rooftops. Kakashi's feet tapped lightly on the tile as he ran, leaping from building to building with the grace of a cat. Eventually he heard Naruto's erratic breathing become more controlled and mellow, and the Jonin knew that the boy had fallen asleep. The stress of the incident finally got to him, it seemed.

It was minutes later that Kakashi found himself by the open window of the Hokage's office. With a tap on the glass, Kakashi asked "Hokage-sama, may I come in?"

The old man, dressed in the Kage's uniform with the Hokage's hat laid neatly off to the side, turned in his swivel chair to smile solemnly at Kakashi. The Jonin almost face-faulted at the amount of paperwork laying on the Hokage's desk. "Of course, Kakashi. I see you've brought young Naruto." The old man's smile dropped to a slight frown. "Is he alright?"

Kakashi bowed as he entered the office, stepping down from the window and making his way over to the opposite side of the desk. "He's fine, just tired. Some villagers had him trapped, but we managed to drive them off before they could hurt him. One man died, as he was about to break the Last Sealing Law." Kakashi paused, eyes narrowing as he knew the Hokage wouldn't take this well. "Taiga's squad never showed up."

The Hokage leaned forward as Kakashi spoke, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. If the paperwork wasn't going to kill him, the people would with their actions, and to hear that one of his ANBU had abandoned Naruto to them was even worse. He motioned for Kakashi to lay Naruto on a short couch off to the left of the room, which the Jonin did so gently. Before the elderly ninja could say more, three knocks came from the door. Both shinobi looked at the entrance, with Kakashi giving the Hokage a glance before subtly reaching for his kunai holster.

Hiruzen blinked, wondering to himself if he was to have an appointment with someone that he may have forgotten. Not moving from his chair, he called to the door. "Enter."

When the right of the two doors opened to reveal Itachi through the corridor, Kakashi relaxed - placing both hands in his pockets. The Hokage smiled warmly at the Uchiha, glad to see him back from his mission in one piece. However, there was something off... Was that a girl on his back?

"Itachi, welcome." Hiruzen greeted, noticing that Kakashi and Itachi exchanged a quick nod.

The Uchiha bowed at the waist respectfully, before addressing his leader. The Hokage didn't like the disappointed look Itachi seemed to carry. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I regret to inform you that my mission was unsuccessful. I was able to locate Yeijiro Tsunoda-dono in a prison within the Tsuchikage's Tower, but not before they had terminated him. I apologize."

Hiruzen sighed. More and more bad news. The Fire Daimyo would not be pleased with this turn of events. Still, knowing Itachi, he did the best he could. At least they knew who was responsible, although he was shocked slightly to learn that the Captain had been forced to enter Iwagakure itself - not to mention the Tsuchikage's Tower. "I see. Were you able to discover any evidence as to why they kidnapped him?"

The Uchiha shook his head, causing the Hokage to frown. "No, Hokage-sama. Shortly after finding Tsunoda-dono, my presence was discovered. I was able to kill the only ones who learned of my Kekkei Genkai, and I managed to flee without being followed, but my investigation was cut short."

"I... See." the Hokage replied. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. Though they knew who was responsible, they could not act out against Iwa without evidence. The rest of the great shinobi villages would not tolerate such an act. A silence overcame the office, but then the Hokage and Kakashi - who had remained quiet until now - heard faint snoring. And it wasn't coming from Naruto.

"Itachi." Kakashi began, noticing a mop of red hair over Itachi's shoulder, as well as the body that was latched to his back. "Who do you have with you?" While his expression was of the usual impassiveness, Kakashi was curious. The hair, especially, reminded him of his Sensei's wife, Kushina. Hiruzen held a quirked eyebrow, waiting for Itachi's explanation.

Itachi took a quick glance back at Tayuya, before looking at Kakashi to respond. "Her name is Tayuya. She is an orphan from Iwagakure." Kakashi's eye widened a tad at the information, but quickly went back to its normal half-closed state. The Uchiha looked to the Hokage, who held his surprised expression - which amused Itachi slightly, as he never thought a ninja as experienced as the Hokage would show surprise.

"You must have had a reason to bring her here." Hiruzen observed, knowing the Uchiha. Itachi never did anything unless there was a reason for it. He didn't waste his time on things that had no meaning. That was one of the reasons he was such a respected shinobi.

As Hiruzen suspected, Itachi nodded in the affirmative. "Hai. Hokage-sama, I don't believe her to be a Jinchuruki, or else my Sharingan would have detected the different chakra. But, for whatever reason, the villagers in Iwagakure treated her the same way our villagers treat Naruto." Itachi finished, looking over at Naruto's sleeping form on the couch. Those who knew Itachi would notice a faint trace of sadness in his eyes, before the Uchiha turned back to the Hokage. "I ask for your forgiveness, Hokage-sama. I do not know why they treated her that way, but I could not leave her there."

The Hokage sighed, leaning back in the chair to sit up straight. "This was unexpected, Itachi. Now that she's here, we can't very well send her away. She seems in too malnourished to live in an orphanage. She can stay here until she has had an opportunity to recuperate. But, we will have to decide what to do with her once she is strong enough to fend for herself."

Itachi bowed, smiling slightly. He was happy to hear that Tayuya would be given a chance. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen then turned to Kakashi. "Naruto cannot continue to live in those conditions on his own. Until we are certain that the villagers will obey my orders, or that Naruto can take care of himself, he will stay with me as well."

Kakashi gave the old man an eye smile in turn, knowing that what he would say next would be a lot easier for the old man to handle. Or, at least he hoped. With a chuckle, the Jonin began, "That's good. The apartment he was staying at was burned to the ground earlier today. It will take months to repair it." For the first time in a while, the Hokage's eyes were wide as dinner plates when Kakashi finished.

"What?!"

While having their conversation, no one noticed Tayuya open her eyes. Though blurry and dark at first, the girl was eventually able to make out the people in the room, as well as what the room looked like. It was cozy and warm, despite the open window leading to the cold outdoors. She was still on Itachi's back, and he was facing an old man behind an even older desk. There was also this weird guy with hair sticking straight up and a mask covering most of his face. Then her eyes drifted down to the couch by the wall.

And she was met by half-open, tired, cerulean blue eyes. Naruto stared back at her, mind churning to figure out whether or not he knew her. He recognized the old man of course, and the one-eyed man was one of the Jonin who saved him sometimes. The slightly scary one was Sasuke Uchiha's brother, Itachi - one of the other ninja who rescued him from time to time. Even though he was scary, Naruto guessed he must have been a decent person.

But the girl resting on his back, Naruto didn't know. He had never seen her before, and he had at met, at least once, pretty much every person in the village. His eyes locked with hers, and the conversation the adults had been having simply droned out of existence. As Naruto looked into her fierce brown eyes, he came to a surprising realization. She was just like him.

For Tayuya's part, she didn't really know what to think. Hell, she didn't even know where she was, though she guessed they were probably in Konoha right now. Still, as she studied Naruto's blank, tired eyes, with his blond hair and six whiskers, Tayuya could have sworn to herself that she had seen him before. Sometime... Recently. She tried to recall everything that had happened, and when she could have seen the boy. Then she remembered it. He looked just like the person in her dream.

The question having been answered, Tayuya felt her mind slowly shutting down as her eyes grew heavier and heavier. Eventually she was forced to give in, not knowing that at that exact same time, Naruto was falling asleep as well. However, as her frame relaxed once again, a single thought shot through her brain, effectively waking her up entirely.

_'Wait. Does that kid have fucking whiskers?!'_

* * *

***Blows off smoking fingers* Whoa, hot, _hot_! Too much typing! I'm not used to typing up that many words! Ayways, it took a while, but Tayuya is *finally* in Konoha, and has finally met Naruto - sort of! ...Took me long enough. Dx**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review with your thoughts, comments, questions, and any advice you can offer - I really appreciate it!**

**See you soon!**


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